


Let's See What The Night Can Do

by scornedmedea



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Fluff, But Only Minor Angst, Cookies, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, One Shot, accidental date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-01 10:36:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18798643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scornedmedea/pseuds/scornedmedea
Summary: Stiles's birthday has sucked so far, but now he’s sitting in a diner with Derek Hale for reasons he doesn’t completely understand, so what’s the worst that could happen.





	Let's See What The Night Can Do

Derek wiped his mouth with his napkin, while Stiles continued to ramble about some internet video and Sonic the Hedgehog. He watched him from across the diner booth, nodding at appropriate moments in the conversation. He wasn’t particularly invested in the topic at hand, but one thing he had grown to appreciate about Stiles was that he talked so much, that Derek didn’t have to. But somehow, Stiles still made it feel like they were having a conversation. 

“I mean it’s supposed to be canon that he literally gives his needles away to knitting circles. Have you ever seen a Sonic game with knitters? No! Because Sega dropped the ball. I mean all the drama is totally there!” Stiles popped a curly fry into his mouth.

Derek just nodded along silently, having already finished his burger.

Stiles swallowed and studied Derek for a moment. “You’re actually listening to me.” 

Derek pulled a face. “You are talking to me, right?”

“Yeah, but I’m even starting to get on my own nerves.” He narrowed his eyes. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Would my answer to that stop you?” Derek asked with a chuckle.

Stiles shrugged. “Probably not.”

“Then go ahead.”

“Why are you being nice to me?” Stiles asked, raking a fry through ketchup and taking a bite.

“What do you mean?” Derek asked.

“You literally invited me to get something to eat. With you.” Stiles’s voice was tinged with suspicion.

“I was hungry, and you said you were hungry. Plus, it’s only been about two hours since you tried to put yourself between me and a wendigo. If anything, I should be asking you why you’re so nice to me.” Derek sounded completely casual as he spoke, but he was extremely focused on the lettuce still on his plate.

“I guess I’m just that kinda guy,” Stiles said with a grin. “A superhero or something like that.”

“Yeah, something like that,” Derek laughed.

The waitress leaned over the table to refill both of their waters. “Is that going to be one check or two?”

“Two,” Stiles replied.

“Just one,” Derek corrected.

“I’ve got it, Derek.”

“I made you come get food with me. I’ve got it.” Derek nodded at the waitress, and she headed back to the front of the diner.

“Gee, thanks.” Stiles smiled to himself. “Happy birthday, to me I guess.”

Derek pushed his plate to the side. “Pretty shitty birthday plans to fight a monster, grab some food here, and then head home.”

“I’m just lucky like that,” Stiles replied.

“Wait.” Derek looked up. “Is it actually your birthday?”

“It is no longer my birthday as of four minutes ago,” Stiles said, checking the time on his phone.

Derek’s brow furrowed, and he pursed his lips.

“Dude, are you okay?” Stiles asked.

“Yeah, it’s just— Do you have to be up early tomorrow?” 

“Nope. I assume Scott will want to hang out at some point to make up for today’s birthday debacle, but it definitely won’t be early. Apparently, werewolf healing really takes it out of you. Granted I am speaking to the resident expert,” Stiles replied.

“Are you picky with desserts? It’s after midnight, so our options are pretty limited.” 

Stiles looked confused. “Who are you, and what have you done with Derek Hale?”

“Does that mean you don’t want dessert?” Derek asked.

“That is not at all what I said,” Stiles replied. “I’m just saying this is a little out of character.”

The waitress returned with their check. Derek handed her double the bill in cash. “I don’t need any change.”

“Thank you!” She smiled brightly at him and headed to another table.

“I just don’t feel like it’s fair to you.” Derek continued to look anywhere but at Stiles. “You kind of got wrapped up in all of this supernatural stuff against your will. Because of me. The least I can do is give you a semi, not boring birthday.”

Stiles made a face. “Peter bit Scott. Peter is the reason all of this happened. Not you.”

“I should have realized it was him before he did that,” Derek said dejectedly.

“Hey, look at me.” Stiles paused, waiting for Derek to look up. After a second, Derek obliged. “That wasn’t your fault. Scott, those people that died. None of them were your fault. Peter fooled us all. More than once. And honestly, I wouldn’t trade all of this for anything. I just like to bitch.” Stiles directed a smile at Derek.

“Thanks,” Derek chuckled half-heartedly.

“And you don’t have to feel obligated to take me out on my birthday, dude.”

“It’s just...” Derek trailed off, looking for the right words. “Birthdays are important.”

“Okay,” Stiles said, eating his last curly fry. “What’s the plan then, big guy?”

“There’s a cookie place open til three if that sounds good.”

“Sounds perfect!” Stiles took a sip of his water and slid out of the booth. “But you got dinner, so I’ve got the cookies.”

Derek slid out of his side of the booth, shaking his head. “Birthday cookie means I buy.”

“Fine.” Stiles rolled his eyes. “But then I at least get to pay for the milk.”

“Deal,” Derek said as they walked out the diner door into the parking lot. “Do you want to just ride with me, and I can bring you back to your metal death trap?”

“Let’s get one thing straight. You can call me names until the next full moon, wolf-boy, but you do not insult Roscoe,” Stiles said sternly.

Derek started laughing. “You named your jeep Roscoe?”

Stiles stared at him. His laugh sounded so genuine and happy that it seemed to cut through the darkness and made his whole face light up. Stiles felt his heartbeat speed up.

Derek cocked his head to the side, suddenly serious. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You heartbeat just did a thing.”

“A thing? Is that the technical term for it?” Stiles laughed. “And Scott chose the name. But I stand by it.”

Derek watched him quietly for a second before unlocking his car.

Stiles climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door hard. He immediately looked at Derek with a grimace. “I am so so so sorry. My jeep is not exactly a spring chicken, and I guess I’m used to closing the doors with a little more force.”

Derek sighed. “It’s fine. Just be a little more careful.”

Stiles held his hand up to his head in a salute. “Aye aye, captain.”

Derek just shook his head.

“Can I have radio control?” Stiles asked.

“It is your birthday,” Derek replied. 

By the time they made it to Insomnia Cookies, they had listened to 9 different radio stations and the first couple of seconds of every song on Derek’s Black Keys cd. It was only a 12-minute drive. 

Derek was surprised at himself for not feeling the least bit annoyed. He kept glancing over at Stiles’s fingers messing with the radio. The drive felt almost intimate, Stiles lit in the red dash light, just the two of them. Derek shook the thought from his head as he parked.

“So I’m going to need you to let me help you navigate the menu since I know you won’t be familiar,” Stiles said as he held the door open for Derek.

“I’ve been here several times.” Derek arched his eyebrow.

“Derek, I have seen you without a shirt. You will, under no circumstances, ever be able to convince me that you have had dessert.”

“That’s because I exercise,” Derek said, shoving him playfully. “You’re welcome to join me, but you’ll have to do everything I do.”

Stiles studied him intently for a second before returning to the conversation. “Yeah, that’s a hard pass, dude. I would straight up die, and this isn’t feeling like a final kinda birthday.”

Derek shrugged in an exaggerated fashion.

“Well, if you’re the frickin king of cookies, then what should we get?” Stiles asked.

“Do you trust me?” Derek asked him, completely serious.

“In a cookie kind of way, or in a tell you my deepest, darkest secret kind of way?”

Derek looked at Stiles without saying a word.

Stiles looked into his eyes. The brown flecks surrounded by so much green reminded him of a forest in the sunlight. “I do,” he responded.

Derek’s smile seemed to stretch to his ears. “I’ll be right back, then.”

Stiles stood by the door as Derek walked up to the counter and ordered. He couldn’t hear what Derek was ordering, but he could still see that smile. He racked his brain for every time they’d been together. He was almost certain that this was the most he’d seen Derek smile since they met. Probably the most he’d talked either. Stiles fought back the unwelcome excitement from a single intrusive thought. I make him smile like that.

Derek returned shortly with a bag. “Come on.” He nodded towards the door.

Stiles followed him back to the car. He pulled a small box out of the bag and opened it towards Stiles. 

“Please tell me you didn’t get that oatmeal raisin cookie for me.”

Derek laughed. “Nope, that one’s mine.”

Stiles frowned at him. “That’s almost worse. I think I preferred thinking it was a mistake.”

Derek rolled his eyes and handed Stiles the thick, brown cookie. 

“What kind of cookie is it?” Stiles asked.

“Just take a bite.” 

“You’re not going to sing happy birthday?”

“Not a chance. Not even your birthday anymore.” Derek’s shit-eating grin showed most of his teeth.

“Moment of truth then,” Stiles said. He took a bite of the warm cookie, and his eyes grew wide. “Oh my god. Derek!” he yelled with his mouth full of cookie. He closed his eyes and rolled his head back as he took another bite. Low moans escaped his throat.

Derek felt his neck getting hot. The noises Stiles was making were completely inappropriate for them to be standing in a parking lot. But a part of Derek didn’t want him to stop. He took a deep breath to get himself in check. “Stiles, you’re kind of making a scene.”

“Don’t care,” Stiles mumbled through the cookie.

“So, I take it that you like it?” Derek asked.

“This is the best-damned cookie I have ever had. In my entire life. And there’s a whole extra year tacked on when I say that right now.” He shoved the last of the cookie in his mouth. “What kind is it?”

“Smores.”

“Well, it’s fucking delicious. I forgot to get the milk though,” Stiles said with a frown.

Derek reached into the bag and pulled out a small bottle of chocolate milk. He offered it to Stiles.

“Chocolate milk? Can werewolves read minds? I need you to come clean with me right now because if you can, I have some things I need to apologize for.”

“Maybe you’re just predictable,” Derek laughed.

“I can’t get over how good that cookie was.” He took a big gulp of the milk.

“I’m glad you like it.” Derek paused then added, “happy birthday.” He took a bite of his own cookie.

“Thanks, Derek.” Stiles looked up absently at the sky. “This has been a really good night. I wish it didn’t have to end.” 

Derek shrugged. “It doesn’t have to. It’s 1:30 in the morning, so it’s not exactly like I’ve got anywhere to be.”

Stiles’s stomach jumped. “You sure, you want to stay out all night with me?”

“I can think of worse things.”

They both stared at the ground.

“What do you want to do then?” Stiles asked.

“It’s your birthday.”

“Then I want to drive the Camaro.” 

Derek looked at Stiles and pulled a face.

A grin shot across Stiles’s face as he pointed at Derek’s face. “That is not a no!”

“Stiles.”

Stiles was practically shaking with excitement. “That was absolute, one hundred percent not a no!”

Derek looked him, knowing he couldn’t tell him no. “If you crash my car, I am going to murder you.”

“Derek!” Stiles shouted as he wrapped his arms around Derek and pulled him in for a hug.

Derek’s whole body tensed up.

Stiles realized what he’d done immediately. He jerked himself away from Derek with a terrified look on his face.

Derek didn’t acknowledge it. He simply handed Stiles the keys and walked around to the passenger side. 

Stiles climbed into the driver’s seat and started the car. 

“ I can already tell that I’m going to regret this,” Derek said to himself.

“Probably,” Stiles said with a laugh. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the highway. 

“Stiles,” Derek said calmly. 

Stiles didn’t say anything. He just grinned and accelerated.

“Stiles. Stiles!” Derek was shouting now. 

They were shooting down backroads. Derek was pretty sure they were going fast enough to actually fly. “Stiles, damnit! You’re going to kill both of us.”

“This baby was made to go fast, though!” Stiles complained.

Derek had opened his mouth to respond, but cut himself off when he saw the blue lights reflecting in the mirror. He settled for a heavy sigh.

Stiles pulled the car over on the side of the road. “Relax. My dad is the sheriff, remember?”

Derek didn’t say anything.

Stiles glanced down at the mirror. “Shit.”

“What?” Derek asked.

“My dad is the sheriff,” Stiles said.

Derek shook his head and huffed. 

Stiles rolled down the window. “Hey, daddio. Having an easy night?”

John sighed. “What are you doing, Stiles.”

“I am driving Derek’s Camaro. What does it look like I’m doing?” He flashed his most innocent smile.

“It looks like you were doing sixty in a forty-five. And why are you driving Derek’s car?” John asked.

“It’s my birthday, and Derek is a pushover.” Stiles gestured over to Derek.

John looked at Derek, sitting motionlessly with his head in his hands. “Is he still alive?”

“I think he’s just embarrassed.” Stiles shrugged.

“Any particular reason you’re out with Derek Hale at two in the morning? Particularly anything I need to have a chat with him about?”

Derek groaned loudly.

“Well, since I’m not in high school anymore, I think we’re cool on that front.”

“I am way too tired for this,” John muttered to himself. “Is there any reason Derek isn’t driving?”

“Nope,” Stiles replied. “This was just my birthday present.” 

“Switch,” John said sternly.

“What?” Stiles asked.

“You heard me,” John said. “You clearly can’t be trusted with a vehicle like this, and I’d rather it not be your last birthday.”

“Fine,” Stiles said with a huff.

Derek had already unbuckled his seat belt and stepped outside.

“It doesn’t seem like he was enjoying the ride very much,” John chuckled.

“Well, I was having the time of my life,” Stiles said as he hopped out of the car. He hugged his dad and walked around the car.

“Derek,” John said, holding out his hand.

Derek shook his hand. “Sheriff.”

“Be careful,” John said as he waved them off. “And don’t stay out too late, Stiles.”

Stiles gave a thumbs up out the window, as he and Derek drove away.

“Stiles,” Derek said flatly.

“Yes, Derek?” Stiles asked innocently.

Derek looked over at Stiles. He was staring at Derek and smiling. Out of nowhere, and completely unexpected to himself, Derek burst out laughing. Stiles was quick to follow. They laughed for several minutes without stopping. Then anytime one of them would stop laughing, the other would laugh louder, causing the whole cycle to start over again. Feeding off of each other’s joy, they both wore giant smiles when they finally calmed down.

“You know, your dad just asked you if we were dating.” Derek pointed out.

“Mmhmm.”

“And you responded by essentially telling him that you do what you want.”

“Because it’s true.” Stiles laughed. “In all the years that you’ve known me, have you ever seen anyone successfully tell me what to do?”

“Four and a half years of being a pain in the ass.” Derek chuckled.

Stiles stared at him wordlessly.

Derek glanced over at him. “What?”

“You know exactly how long we’ve known each other?”

“And you don’t?” Derek arched an eyebrow.

“I never said that.” Stiles countered.

Derek sat silently for a moment. “You know your dad totally thinks we’re dating now, right?”

“I can think of worse things.”

Derek could tell from Stiles’s voice that he was beaming. He didn’t even have to look over. Even though he really wanted to. 

Without thinking about it, he reached out and laced his fingers through Stiles’s. For a brief moment, he felt panic rise up, and almost jerked his hand back. But then Stiles squeezed his hand gently, and Derek’s heart did a vertical leap up into his throat. He relaxed his arm and mirrored Stiles’s giant smile.

“So where to now?” Stiles asked.

“That depends.” Derek rubbed his thumb in circles on Stiles’s hand. “Anything you want. Name it, and we’ll do it.”

“Surprise me,” Stiles said.

“Haha,” Derek said sarcastically. “ You don’t even like surprises.”

“I’m still not sure I don’t believe that you can’t read minds.” Stiles chuckled. “But for real. Surprise me. I trust you.”

“A cookie is not the same thing,” Derek laughed.

“I’m one hundred percent serious, Derek. We’ve been through a lot together. Like more than most people who know each other go through in entire lifetimes. I’ve trusted you completely since the moment I found out you weren’t a murderer. In all honesty, I might have actually trusted you before that, but that just seems like poor judgment. It’s not exactly a new feeling for me.” He paused and added, “trusting you, I mean.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

“Sometimes, I think you’re the only person I really trust,” Derek said, only slightly above a whisper. “I mean, yeah, I trust Scott and the others, but as much as you talked about leaving me to die, you never did. You kind of spent more energy keeping me alive than anyone.”

“When my mom died, everyone said they were sorry.” Stiles’s voice cracked as he spoke. “And I knew they were. But it was like everyone was watching me through glass. No one around me really got how it felt to genuinely lose someone you loved. I felt completely disconnected.”

Derek squeezed Stiles’s hand.

“When we really met, it was right after your sister died. As soon as everyone knew you weren’t a murderer, I could feel them doing that to you. And I guess you were a professional at being disconnected by that point, because you hid away, and chased us off, and lived in what was left of the house. I had no idea why, but I wanted to be there for you. I just didn’t really know how to be. I mean I was only seventeen.”

“You saved my life, Stiles.” Derek glanced over at him. He was crying now. “And not just in the sense that you literally saved my life. You poked and prodded and annoyed the shit out of me. You refused to go away. If I’m being honest, I think you were the reason I moved into the loft instead of just squatting. I didn’t think I deserved to have a home or feel safe, but you kept risking your life and saving all of us. You convinced me that I was human. That I was alive for more than to just suffer with my guilt.”

“Derek,” Stiles said quietly. He sniffled. “Can we just park somewhere?”

“I know just the place.” 

Derek turned around and drove them up some winding roads until they reached a part of the preserve. “Up for a short hike? I promise it’ll be worth it.”

Stiles nodded. 

They both got out of the car and headed up the path, hand in hand. Derek walked slowly so that Stiles wouldn’t have trouble keeping up. He led them down the path, through a couple of densely overgrown areas until the reached the end of the trail. They arrived at an open area with trees on three sides. In front of them was a small cliff that looked out over the entirety of Beacon Hills. 

Stiles felt his breath catch in his throat. “It’s beautiful.”

Derek watched Stiles as he took in the view. “Yeah.” A giant smile plastered itself on his face. “It’s beautiful.”

They sat down on the edge of the cliff.

“You said birthdays are important, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you celebrate your birthday.” Stiles turned to look at him.

Derek shrugged. “I haven’t really paid attention to it since I came back to Beacon Hills.”

“Why not?” Stiles asked.

“It was kind of Laura’s thing.” Derek looked down and carded his fingers through the grass. “She always said we had been surrounded by so much death, that we had to celebrate life.”

Stiles frowned. “So you stopped when she...”

Derek nodded.

Stiles placed his hand on Derek’s arm. “When’s your birthday?”

“You don’t have to,” Derek said.

Stiles leaned against Derek. “ I want to celebrate your life.”

Derek looked up at him and smiled.

“Besides,” Stiles said. “I’ve worked too hard to keep you alive.”

“November seventh.” 

“Of course you’re a Scorpio.” Stiles made a show of rolling his eyes.

“I know what that means, but I don’t know what it means,” Derek laughed.

Stiles ran a hand through Derek’s hair slowly. 

They sat there wordlessly, staring into each other’s eyes and gently touching each other. Derek ran his fingers across Stiles’s jaw and neck, tracing a constellation on his moles. Stiles continued to play with Derek’s hair.

“This is the best birthday I’ve ever had,” Stiles said dreamily.

“I’m glad. You deserve it.”

“There’s just one thing left to make sure that no future birthday can beat it.”

“What’s that?” Derek asked. “We’ve still got a couple of hours before sunrise, we can probably fit it in.”

“I want you to kiss me.”

Derek laughed. “You want a birthday kiss?”

“No,” Stiles answered. As nervous as he was, he couldn’t bring himself to take his eyes off of Derek. “I want you to kiss me. It has to be you.”

Derek looked the most vulnerable that Stiles had ever seen him. A simple smile stretched across his face. 

“I think I can help with that,” Derek said softly.

He leaned in and pressed his lips against Stiles’s. His hand reached around to Stiles’s neck, and he gently caressed Stiles’s ear with his thumb. 

Stiles pushed back amazed at how soft Derek’s lips were. Stiles wrapped his hands in Derek’s henley to pull him as close as physically possible, trying desperately to occupy the same space as him.

Derek pulled away and rested his forehead against Stiles’s. “Best birthday?”

“Hands down,” Stiles said, smiling like crazy.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! You can find me on Tumblr at [scornedmedea](https://scornedmedea.tumblr.com/)
> 
> This fic was inspired by [Let’s See What The Night Can Do by Jason Mraz](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7_HgYvaY34)


End file.
